Neji's Struggle
by flipflop386
Summary: After the team returns from the failed Sasuke Retrieval Mission, all are seriously injured, especially Neji. After being saved by a near death experience, Neji must now spend several weeks recovering in the hospital.
1. Chapter 1 through 6

**PRELOGUE **

The midday sun beat down on him, burning his skin. He looked over at his opponent, Kidomaru, who was lying face up, dead. Neji smiled up at the sky, his body still shaking. _Did I make you proud father?_ His smiled disappeared as he coughed up blood. Neji grabbed at his side with his broken arm, only forcing him to cry out in agony. He collapsed to the ground. He raised his eyes to see his forehead protector. He reached out and grabbed it, then he finally started to relax. _Well, I suppose this is it. And to think, I never got to tell her, how-how much I loved her. Tenten, ple-please forgive me… I guess I broke my promise too…_ Neji's shaking body stilled as he drew in a deep breathe and allowed his eyes to close. A bird flew over him, dropping a feather, that floated down moving back and forth until it was directly underneath his palm, then gravity allowed the feather to fall straight down, landing in his palm.

A day had passed and Neji hadn't moved at all. Lady Tsunade sent out the first and second medical cords to find the Genin. Choji was found near death, and Neji was approaching deaths door too.

"Hey! Over here! I found another! But it doesn't look good…" Shouted a medic to the others. "We're coming! How bad does he-… Oh no." Another medic said as he came into the clearing and saw the immobile Hyuga . "Is he… dead?" He continued. The other medic placed two fingers under Neji's chin, "No, not yet. But his pulse is dangerously low, and he's lost a lot of blood. If we don't hurry him back to Konaha, he'll surely die." The second medic turned back to the other medics, " Alright, this is another delicate one. We have to be extremely careful so that we don't stress any of his injuries!" The medical cord moved into the clearing as the first medic slowly flipped the genius on to his back while the others prepared some gauzes to cover up his more serious injuries. After bandaging him up, they lifted him onto a stretcher and carried him back to Konaha.

TENTEN'S POINT OF VIEW:::::::::::::::;;

Tenten sighed as she drew circles in the water. She was sitting by the lake thinking about her team. _It's been almost a week since Neji went off to rescue Sasuke, and then Lee went off too! What an idiot, he thinks it's alright to just go off on a mission without properly healing his wounds! I swear when he gets back I'm going to punch him so hard that he'll-_

"Tenten!" Lee called from the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. Tenten's thoughts escaped her as she looked up to see the Green Beast walking towards her with Gaara of the Sand right behind him. "Lee! You're back!" Tenten jumped to her feet and ran towards the two boys. "How long have you guys been back? Where's everyone else?" The kunoichi had hundreds of questions to ask, but Lee just smiled as if nothing happened on the strenuous mission. This made Tenten very mad, and she punched him on his head, causing him to fall to the ground. Gaara stared at the bump growing on Lee's head, " You have amazing arm strength, you must be Tenten, the weapon mistress." Tenten's anger left her as she made eye contact with the Sand `Genin, "Uh yeah." She felt s tad afraid' talking to the boy who almost ended her teammates ninja career. Gaara nodded, "Well the rest of the team is on its way, but Lee insisted that we run off ahead to tell his Sensei." Tenten's eyes shown with understanding and she bent down to help Lee up. " Well, Lee, Gai Sensei went off on a short mission, its nothing hard, just a C rank." Lee rubbed his head and gave her his best Gai Pose. "That is alright my youthful teammate!" Tenten rolled her eyes, " So where's Neji?" Lee's smile faded and he turned to Gaara who looked straight back at him, "Ugh, Tenten, you must know, that Neji….. He's, um…." Tenten looked at him worried until the sight of someone walking through the gates caught her attention. She ran towards the group only to not find Neji. Lee followed her, "Tenten I tried to tell you! Neji, he got… injured." Her eyes went wide,

"Well, he's alright though, right?" Lee just stared at her with his mouth open, trying to say the unbelievable truth. Then the medics came through, one helping Kiba walk, well limp, and the others carrying two stretchers. One with Choji, who looked as thin as a stick, and the other carrying… a half dead Neji. Tenten gasped and ran to his side. "Neji! Neji! Please wake up! Neji!" Tenten was in tears, spilling the salty water drops over the Hyuga's bloody bandages. It took both Gaara and Lee to pull her away. "Where are they taking him?" She asked balling into Lee's shoulder. "They are going to take him to the hospital so that they can heal him back to his full youthful self. "But, but, what if they…" her words were lost in a sea of discontent. "We need not worry about the 'what ifs'," He replied, "Come on Tenten, let us wait outside the emergency room for him." The kunoichi nodded as she allowed Lee to walk her to the hospital.

**

* * *

CHAPTER 1**

The red light had a faint glow as it shined above the doors of Emergency Room 7. Outside the double doors sat none other than Hiashi Hyuga sitting patiently in the waiting room. He'd been there ever since he heard about Neji.

Tenten checked in at the front desk and walked quietly through the long hallway to Emergency Room 7. When she neared the large room, she noticed Hiashi. "Lord Hiashi! Are you waiting on Neji also?" As she got closer, she noticed the veins surrounding the Lord's eyes. _Byakugan? What is he doing?_

The Hyuga lost focus making his veins disappear. He turned to see the kunoichi, "Hn? Oh, why yes. And to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"Tenten," She said bowing, "I'm Neji's teammate, I usually train with him."

"Oh! The weapon mistress!" Hiashi said impressed. "Neji speaks of you quite a lot. Is it true that you hit your target 100% of the time?"

Tenten nodded and sat down opposite of the Hyuga lord. She looked up at the glowing sign, "Ha-has Neji been in there long?" she asked hesitantly.

Hiashi looked down with a disappointed look, "Its been at least 3 hours and with what I've seen with my byakugan, he isn't doing well…."

Tenten looked at him confused, "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Did you use your byakugan to see inside the emergency room? And what exactly happened? Every medic is in too big a rush helping the rest of the team to answer me."

" Yes," Hiashi said ashamed, "It's just that I was so worried about him, and when I saw him so injured, I,- I thought he was dead…" He turned to face the brunette, letting out a deep sigh. "Well, anyway, Neji was badly hurt, his injuries are fatal Their not sure if he'll make it. Lady Tsunade sent a messenger to the Hyuga compound to alert me. I came to the hospital almost immediately and have been waiting here ever since," Said the elder Hyuga.

" Oh my goodness…. I'm so sorry. All I knew was that Neji was severely injured." She said quietly.

" Actually, the doctors are trying to keep him alive. He still could go either way. They are trying their hardest." Hiashi stated.

"Oh," is all Tenten could say. There was a long solemn silence between the two. Hiashi decided to break it.

"Tenten, does Neji still hate the Main House Family? Ever since his father passed away, he's never been the same."

The Kunoichi stared at him blankly for a second before answering. "Well, HATE is such a strong word, I think its more of a grudge, or maybe even a way to hide his emotions. After the Chunin exams and reading that letter, I think his perspective changed to more of an understanding. Of course I'm no expert on the Hyuga family."

Confused, the Hyuga asked, " He told you about the letter, figures." He said with a chuckle, " but Tenten, what do you mean by hiding his emotion? Neji has none."

" Please! Everyone has emotions! Some just hide them better than others," Tenten said more relaxed, " I guess its like Neji know the real reason why his dad was killed and respects it, but who wouldn't you know? I'd be pretty damn proud if I knew my dad sacrificed his body to protect me, my family, and the village too!" Hiashi smiled, and almost chuckled. " Anyways, it sorta like he needs to blame someone for loosing his dad, and the Main House Family is the most logical group." she finished. Hiashi still looked confused, "Alright, well its like Neji still misses his dad but doesn't show it, but instead shows hatred to the Main House."

" You make a very good point young Tenten."

There was another long silence, broken by the Emergency Room light fading out. Hiashi raised his head curiously. Shizune walked out of the room out of breath and covered in sweat. Hiashi's concerned face caught her attention. She bowed and returned to her tired self. "How is he doing?" The Hyuga stared into her eyes, scared.

"Ne-Neji is fine, for now. His condition has stabilized and he is breathing normally. If you excuse me, I must go alert Lady Tsunade.'' Hiashi drew out a breath of relief," Thank goodness." Tenten smiled while sitting on the edge of her chair. Shizune left and Tenten stood up trying to sneak a peak in the Emergency Room.

It didn't look much like an operating area, but more like a sourcer's room. It had no bed, x-rays, or any medical equipment. Instead, there was a large design glowing green on the floor. There were four small empty squares in the corners of the design where the surgeons sat while performing the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique. In the middle of the huge design laid the pale and limp Neji. Two medics stood next to him, "Ready?" one of them said, "1,2,3 up" They lifted Neji up onto a portable bed and started to role him out of the room. Neji began coughing. "Easy Neji. Your alright now," said one of the Medics trying to soothe him. "Why bother? He's unconscious remember? He can't hear you. He probably doesn't even know where he is," said the other. This caught Tenten's attention. She moved to the side to let the medics and Neji pass. However, Hiashi stopped them in their tracks.

"Which room will you be taking him to?" he said. One of the medics checked a clipboard attached to Neji's bed, "Um…. Room 213, but Lady Tsunade has instructed that there be no visitors for a while so that Neji can rest."

"Oh. No visitors? Well, if that's the case, then I think I'll head back to Gai Sensei, he just returned from his mission. Even though Lee and Neji can't train doesn't me I can't." Tenten started to leave but stopped in her tracks. "Just so I can tell Gai Sensei, what is Neji's condition?" she asked.

"Couple of broken ribs, a broken wrist and arm, bruises, severe cuts, internal bleeding, concussion, obviously the two large holes going through his torso, many kunai knife stabs in his back, but those are mostly healed, and there is some severe damage done to his vital organs. This kid was quick, thought on his feet, moved at the last second to avoid an arrow hitting his heart." "However not quick enough.," said the other, "The arrow actually grazed it causing a lot of heart trauma," the medic read off his symptoms as if just reading a list.

Tenten gasped at the thought of an arrow hitting Neji's heart. Tenten finally spoke, " O-oh alright. Thank you," was all she could say before she walked away. The 2 medics continued to cart Neji away from Hiashi and into the long empty hallway.

Hiashi followed the medics all the way to Neji's room. One of the medics took Neji inside while the other talked to Hiashi.

The medic spoke calmly and quietly to him, "Shizune may have said that Neji was fine, but he really is still severely injured. It will be weeks, probably months, before he's back to full health. He'll be out of action for a while, including training and missions. He's also extremely weak. It will be amazing if he can even sit up by himself when he wakes up."

Hiashi tried to keep in his gasp, but his eyes showed the expression instead. The thought that his nephew, who was once probably the strongest in his clan, now laid unconscious in a hospital bed too weak and helpless to even move, frightened him. "I see. When will I be able to see him?"

The medic checked the chart once again. " Well there is no designated time yet, Lady Tsunade wants to look over him before she decides if he may have visitors. So until she has done that let's just wait until Neji has gained consciousness."

"Alright," Hiashi said before the Medic entered the small room to assist the other.

**CHAPTER 2 **

Inside the room, two medics stood next to the bed that now occupied the young Hyuga. Neji laid there frail and immobilized gasping for air. The medics continued to apply medicines into IV drips and attaching them to Neji, in order to keep him alive. His heart monitor beeped in a regular pattern, showing that his heart was pumping normally. The grimace on his face showed that he was in incredible pain even though he was still out cold. The room was small and had only one bed to make sure the patient was isolated and could get some peace and quiet, and yet the pain still upset him.

"Wow. This kid really got a beating," said one medic, " It sort of surprising that he was actually able to kill that sound ninja."

"Ya, well let's not forget that he was almost killed too. If the medical cord had arrived just half an hour later, well his future would be bleak." said the second.

"I suppose….. Alright, I think we're done here." the first said wiping his hands together, "Let's let the kid rest, he looks like he needs it."

"Right. Ha! Hokage is going to have fun giving him a check up! She's tired enough, seeing Neji in this condition will drive her through the roof!"

They both laughed but were cut off by coughing. They turned around to see the still unconscious, young Hyuga coughing uncontrollably. His heart rate increasing dramatically. "What's going on!" cried the first medic trying to read the heart monitor. "He's not breathing normally, no surprise. He was gasping for air earlier." The second said grabbing an oxygen mask, putting it around Neji's head and placing it over his mouth. "Easy Neji, you're alright," the first medic said trying to calm down the sleeping Hyuga. His heart rate dropped back down to a steady rate after a few minutes. "Alright he's fine for now. The Hokage will know what to do."

Both medics left the room to see Hiashi starring at them with concern, "What happened to my nephew?'' Both doctors looked at each other and the first finally said, " He's fine now," Hiashi cut him off, " That's what Shizune said last time." "Yes," the second finished, " but now he is situated in his room and the medicine should be helping with the pain. Neji was having trouble breathing earlier, which lead to hyperventilation, meaning he was getting small amounts of oxygen to his weak heart, causing him to cough. He's fine now, we gave him some oxygen, but left the mask on incase he has trouble breathing again." Hiashi breathed out in relief and fell back onto the bench.

Two hours later, Lady Tsunade walked quickly towards Neji's hospital room. She stared at a clipboard in her hands and looked up only to check room numbers. She finally stopped at Neji's room. Hiashi had left for a while, but Tenten and Lee had taken his place. Tsunade's attention was caught by the sight of the two waiting. She let go of the pages she was holding on the clipboard and stared at them, mostly Tenten. There was a long pause of Tenten and Tsunade looking straight into each others eyes. Tsunade could see the concern and fright hidden behind the weapon mistress's chocolate brown eyes. "I'm sure Neji is fine. We have some of the best Medical nins in the country," Tsunade finally said before disappearing into the small room. Tenten turned her head away from the Lee to hide her tears, but he still noticed how upset she was, "Tenten! Neji is a splendid ninja! I am sure he is fine! After all he _is_ a genius, are these not your words?" he said giving a famous Gai smile.

Tenten wiped her tears away, " You're right Lee. You know for someone who hates Neji, you really support him."

Lee chuckled, "Tenten, you can be quite foolish from time to time," Tenten let out a small gasp at Lee's strong words, " You see, I do not hate Neji. We just do not see eye to eye. He may see me as annoying for asking to spar him constantly, but I see him as another sensei. I learn from him as well as learn from my mistakes. As for supporting him, well I do the same for you, Tenten. We are all teammates, whether we like it or not, and as teammates, we must help each other. When I was injured Gai Sensei, Neji, and you paid me visits, so we shall do the same for him! As his teammates we must care for him also!"

Inside the hospital room Lady Tsunade sat next to the bed containing the weak and sleepy Hyuga. She repeatedly read over the same sentence on Neji's mission health report: _two arrow holes pierced torso, one of which barely hit heart._ "He would have died from extreme blood loss. How is still alive?" Neji groaned at the pain he was in, making Tsunade turn towards him. His hair stretched out on the pillow. His sheets were stained red with his blood. Tsunade's eye went wide with shock. _Shit! I thought Shizune healed him! _She quickly moved the covers off of Neji's bare chest to see he had bled through his bandages. She removed them and used her healing jutsu to stop the bleeding. Neji coughed up blood and his heart rate slowed at a dangerously fast pace signaling a heart attack. "Come on Neji! Stay with me!" Tsunade shouted. She kept the green glow of medical chakra over Neji for at least twenty minutes before deciding his heart rate had returned to normal. She applied new bandages to Neji's wounds and placed clean sheets over his frail body. The Hokage left his room to see the same small group staring at her again. And again she made direct eye contact with Tenten, "Neji could use a bit more rest before seeing visitors." Tsunade left them and made her way back to her office.

**CHAPTER 3**

Sakura stood next to the hospital bed writing down Neji's current health. Neji twitched in pain, but stayed asleep. Sakura looked down at him and shook her head. She then left the room. She walked up to Hiashi, Tenten, and Lee. " Well, it seems that he is doing fine, so I guess you may go see him, but he's still unconscious and very weak. So let's keep the visit short and to one at a time. They all nodded in agreement. First Hiashi walked in.

He stood at the door, afraid to see his injured nephew. He slowly approached the white bed. When he saw Neji he simply smiled and place a hand on the young Hyuga's forehead that revealed the Curse Mark. He slowly moved his hand down to Neji's cut cheek. Neji flinched at the sudden touch, causing Hiashi to pull back his hand. The elder Hyuga pulled up a chair next to Neji. He said nothing for what seemed like forever. Hiashi finally broke the silence," Neji, I was so afraid I would lose you too." Hiashi smiled at his nephew. He moved to the window, " After the death of my brother, your father, well it was like a punch in the face for me. I know it was even worse for you, having to grow up with no guidance, having no one to share your accomplishments with, or even share your problems. I wish I had acted as your father, he would be so disappointed with me for not being one. He really loved you Neji, and although you may be upset with the Main House Family, I just want you to know that the Hyuga bloodline runs stronger in you than anyone else, even me." The Hyuga turned around to see his nephew still unconscious. He walked over to the bed once again and place a hand on Neji's shoulder. "Get better soon," he said while placing a forehead protector on the bedside table. He then left.

Once the elder Hyuga left the hospital, Tenten walked to the injured Hyuga's room. She placed one delicate hand, and her forehead on the cold door. The kunoichi took in a deep breathe and closed her eyes. She gripped the doorknob harder, and finally opened it. She walked in to see her teammate sleeping under white sheets. She stood near the door for what seemed like an hour, the only sound in the room was coming from the monitor keeping track of Neji's heart rate. Tenten was shocked by how pale he was. She had heard he was quite white, but she wasn't expecting his face to match the color of the sheets. He seemed like a ghost to her. Tenten walked towards him, making silent footsteps. Neji breathed heavily, still unconscious. Tenten gasped at the sight of her teammate. Although the sheets covered up most of Neji's frail chest, Tenten could still see the thick layer of bandages that covered it. Neji coughed and winced in pain. Tenten frowned at the sight of her teammate. The forehead protector and straps he once wore to hide his curse mark were removed and placed with the rest of his clothing. She noticed the other forehead protector on the table, knowing it wasn't his. She picked it up and read the writing that had been engraved on the inside. _Neji, my son, I want you to have this, to remind you that I will always be here protecting you everyday. Remember Neji, I have always been proud of you_. Tenten set it back down and looked up at Neji. The covers were slightly messed up, showing that he had not been sleeping peacefully. Neji's hair laid spread out on the pillow. It was messy, unlike the usually controlled ponytail.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::FLASHBACK::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Neji and Lee walked down the stairs in front of the gates of the Leaf Village. Neji wrapped his arm around Lee's waist, allowing Lee to lean on Neji for support. Tenten wandered through the streets searching for the two of them. Shikamaru explained the mission to Neji asking him to join them. By the time Tenten had found them, Neji was about to leave with Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji. Tenten ran towards them, "Neji! Lee! I've been looking for you guys!" She said out of breathe. "Tenten! What is so important? It is barely morning!" Lee said excitedly. "Well, Gai Sensei wanted me to tell you that we won't have training to-…day" Tenten said slightly confused. She noticed Neji standing with the other 4 ninjas outside the gates, " Where are you guys going?" she said. " We're about to go find Sasuke and bring him back to Konaha, Tenten," Neji said calmly. Tenten bit her lip in concern, "O-ok, have fun." Neji acknowledged Tenten's worried face, "You guys go ahead, I'll catch up," He said. The other four nodded at took off. "Tenten, is something wrong?" The kunoichi stared at the young Hyuga, almost in tears, " Ne-Neji… Just be careful, and come back safe." Neji chuckled slyly, "When have I ever left you down?" _

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::FLASHBACK::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Tears rolled down Tenten's cheek. "You said you'd come back safe! You…. You lied…" she whispered. She stared at the sleepy Hyuga as if waiting for an answer. "_Tenten you idiot_!" she thought. Tenten quickly turned around sobbing.

The sound of the heart monitor beeping grew louder in Neji's ears followed by the sound of sobbing. The smell of disinfectant woke him even more. The Hyuga tried to open his eyes but his eyelids felt too heavy. He gasped for air, only to wince in pain. Tenten stopped crying at Neji's cry. She turned back around to the Hyuga who twitched his eyes. "N-Neji?" The kunoichi said confused. The boy slowly opened his pupil less eyes, and then blinked a few times to adjust to the light. He turned his head slightly to the side. "Te-tenten?" Neji said very dryly and raspy. His vision was blurry and his head ached, but he was some how still able to make out the chocolate brown eyes of the kunoichi. The girl's confused expression quickly faded into a smile, "Neji!" She hugged the Hyuga tightly. Neji winced in pain at the strong embrace, " Uh, Tenten….. That really hurts!" Tenten let go quickly and wiped her tears, " Sorry Neji, its just, well, you're alive!" The shinobi inhaled deeply trying to catch his breath. " Ya, and you have brown eyes," he said jokingly with a still dry voice. Tenten rolled her eyes and reached for the cup of water sitting on the table next to Neji's bed. " Here, you sound sort of thirsty," she said handing the water to Neji. Neji reached out for the cup with his right hand, revealing the sling holding his bandaged arm in place. He quickly pulled it away to further examine it. He grabbed it and grimaced in pain Tenten pulled the cup back towards her chest. " Broken arm and wrist," she said " Here," Tenten helped the weak and injured Hyuga sit up and lifted the cup to his colorless lips. Neji drank the water in tiny sips. After a few gulps, Neji started coughing loudly. Tenten placed the cup back on the table, while Neji controlled his cough. He grimaced and grabbed at his chest. Tenten frowned in disapproval, "Are you alright? Do you want me to go get Sakura-chan?" Neji caught his breathe and shook his head no. "I-I am fine… It just hurts to swallow is all… and breathe… and talk… and move…" Tenten rolled her eyes and giggled, her laughter was contagious and soon Neji started to chuckle, which kept getting interrupted by his coughing. "Tenten?" Neji finally said, "I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise…" Tenten smiled sweetly, "Its fine, don't worry about it."

**CHAPTER 4**

In all the commotion, Tenten and Neji didn't notice Lady Tsunade walk in. She cleared her throat to catch their attention. Tenten stopped immediately, Neji tried to, but ended up having yet another cough attack. Tenten stood up and quickly bowed to her role model. Once Neji calmed himself, he tried to sit up to do the same, " La-dy… Tsu-na…..de…" he struggled to push himself up. The Hokage sighed and walked towards the wounded Hyuga. "Don't strain yourself Neji," she said placing a hand on his non-injured shoulder, making him lie down. "You're in no condition to be forcing yourself." Neji nodded and grabbed at his wounded side wincing in pain. Lady Tusnade frowned with a sympathetic look, "Your side and chest are still hurting aren't they?" "Ummm… I'll just show myself out, See ya later Neji!" Tenten smiled and left the room.

Tsunade walked up to Neji's bed and pulled the covers down to his hips, revealing Neji's heavily bandaged torso. "Alright tell me where it hurts," Tsunade said lightly patting his chest moving her hand closer to his injured heart and lungs. Neji squeezed his eyes in pain followed by a short cry out in agony, "Aah!" Neji screamed as Tsunade touched the most injured part of his chest. She quickly retracted her hand As Neji caught his breath, Tsunade sat down in the empty chair next to his bed and pulled the covers back up. Neji opened his eyes and stared at Tsunade. "So, how you feeling?" She asked writing something down on a clipboard, "Tired, weak, lousy, dizzy." Neji 's once silvery eyes now were pale and weary. "Well, I'll be honest, you are far from a quick recovery. And maybe it's the medication, or even the pain killers, but you seem to be a lot less arguable about this situation than I thought." Neji stared at her confused, " What situation?" " Uh… the fact your hospitalized here and recovering from near death…" she replied. "Oh," was all Neji could say while yawning. Lady Tsunade could tell that he was fading quickly and would probably fall asleep soon. "Alright then, I will let you rest," she said while increasing the amount of Morphine Neji received to relieve the pain. Neji's vision went blurry and his eyes felt heavy. The pain he normally felt seemed to be melting away as the Morphine started to kick in. He smiled slightly. Once the Hyuga had fallen asleep, Tsunade pulled out a thermometer from the drawer and took his temperature. _102.6. Not good. He has a fever which will only make it harder for him to recover…_

**CHAPTER 5**

_The Hyuga's mind floated with images of a peaceful scenery in a field outside the Hyuga Compund. Neji walked towards a figure sitting on a bench. The figure became more clear, it was a woman, no. A man with long brown hair and pale skin, similar to the Hyuga. Neji stared at the man for awhile before realizing his father. He smiled, as if finally finding his "happy place." His father smiled back reaching out his arms to hug his son. Neji opened his arms out wide too. They embraced in a hug, then the elder pulled away. Hizashi's faced dropped to a frown, " Neji? NEJI! NNNNEEEEEEJJJIIII! WAKE UP!"_

Neji's eyes fluttered open, but his vision remained blurry. He was able to make out three figures this time, two green and one pink. "Neji! My fellow teammate! The flames of youth have awaken you!" The smaller green blob shouted in a cheery tone. The Hyuga didn't need his byuakugan to know that the speaking person was none other than Rock Lee. AKA- the _most annoying _person Neji has ever met and the last person _he_ wanted to see while in the hospital. His eyes quickly adjusted to the light and his vision became more clear. The three figures were his team; Gai Sensei, Tenten, and… Lee. "Lee! Why did you wake Neji up! Didn't the nurse make it perfectly clear _not_ too? " Replied a concerned brown eyed kunoichi as she hit Lee upside the head. Neji stared at them blankly, his once silvery eyes now were droopy and grey. His whole body felt heavy and hurt all over. His chest, side, and back hurt especially bad. " So my little prodigy, how are you feeling?" Gai-sensei said. The Hyuga wanted to talk, but he choked on his words, making out a groan. "I see. Still not feeling yourself yet, well that's alright Neji! Lady Tsunade has told me that as long as you take it easy and get lots of rest, you will be back on missions in no time!" Neji finally was able to make out words,

"How long is no time?" he said in a rasp voice. Lee and Tenten looked at each other concerned, "You-You're looking a lot better!" Tenten said, trying to avoid his question. "You didn't answer me." The girl looked at her sensei for help. Gai gestured forward, allowing Tenten to tell Neji. She sighed first before speaking, " Well, Hokage-sama said she wasn't exactly sure when you could be released from the hospital, but she did say that it will probably at least a month after you're released until she will allow you to train and you would have to take it really easy for a while…" Neji blinked several times and winced in pain. "That long huh? That's longer than you, Lee." Rock Lee made a Gai pose, " Yes, but you will feel better than ever!" Neji chuckled weakly and stared at Lee, " And how would you know? You don't wait long enough to get the okay to train." Lee blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head, " Well, I guess-," just then the door opened to reveal Shizune, who was reading off a clipboard. She looked up to see the group of people. "Oh sorry guys, but Neji needs his rest. I'm afraid you'll have to go," she said. Lee and Tenten looked at their sensei who nodded, " Well of course! How else will our prodigy get better? We will leave immediately! Come on Lee, Tenten!" Gai said in his cheerful voice. The two students stared at each other before following their teacher out the door. " Bye Neji! We'll see you tomorrow!" cried Tenten. Lee almost broke out in tears, "I have no doubt in my mind that you will grow healthy and strong once again!" Gai chuckled as he watched his students leave the room. Before leaving, he said bye to Neji, " Get well soon my little prodigy! Remember the teams flames of youth need your help!

Shizune closed the door behind them so that she could talk to Neji in private. She sat down in the chair next to the young Hyuga's bed. " So, how's life?" she said as she stared up at the medicine IV drips and wrote down information.

" Did you really come in here just to make small talk?" Neji asked.

"Well no, but I thought I'd start out with a different sentence than 'How are you feeling?' You've probably gotten asked that a lot lately."

"Ha, ya I guess." Neji coughed several times, which caught Shizune's attention.

" You've been coughing a lot lately haven't you?" She help Neji sit up so she could check his wounds.

" Yes. I suppose, but it just hurts to breathe from time to time." Neji gritted his teeth, trying to hold back a scream of agony as Shizune touched a sensitive part of his injured chest.

" Mmm-hmmm… well make sure you tell one of us if anything starts really hurting, like your chest or back." Shizune switched out the old bandages and replaced them with clean ones. "Is your arm hurting at all?"

"Sort of, mostly when I move it" Neji stared down at his right arm that was relaxing in a light blue sling.

"I see, and your head?" Shizune wrote down more notes before looking back up at the Hyuga.

Neji blinked several times, he had almost forgotten that he had gotten a concussion, " Fine really, it only hurts occasionally." He moved his left hand to his forehead ,to feel the bruise. Neji's eyes opened wide and he covered his entire forehead with his hand.

"Is something wrong?"

"Where is my forehead protector?"

"With your shirt and- oh! Never mind, right here." Shizune picked up a protector that was sitting on Neji's bedside table and handed it to him. "But don't put it on, its against hospital rules."

Neji nodded and stared at it confused, "This isn't mine. Mine is black and has straps, this one is navy."

"hmm. Oh well, would you like me to get yours then? Its probably with your shirt."

"Uh… No thanks" Neji read the inside of the forehead protector. "You kept my shirt?"

" Well yes, another hospital rule. But I doubt you want it, although its been washed, there's still blood all over it and there's large wholes in it."

" Something tells me that you can just throw it away, its no use to me anymore." Neji didn't look up from the headband. He rubbed his thumb over the leaf of the forehead protector.

Shizune chuckled, "I thought so, but I still have to check with you. Alright, I'll leave you alone. Make sure you get some rest!" Shizune looked at the Hyuga seriously.

He smiled, " Well of course."

Shizune left the room and closed the door softly behind her. Neji rested his head back down on the pillow, unable to sleep.

CHAPTER 6

Neji stared at the forehead protector. _Father, this-this is your headband…. Who could have brought this to me? _The sight of the navy blue headband made Neji's eyes well up in tears. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The Hyuga quickly looked up at the door. Wiping the salty tears from his eyes he said, "Uh, Come in." In walked the Hyuga Lord, Hiashi. Neji stared back down at the forehead protector, " What is it that you want…" Neji said very sadly. Hiashi stared at his nephew for a few moments before sitting down in the chair near the younger Hyuga's bed. " I wanted to see you," he said. Neji looked up in astonishment.

_Why on Earth would he want to see me? Probably so that he can say how much of a disgrace I've become to the Hyuga family…_ "Why?"

"I almost lost you, Neji. Now I just want to make sure you're alright." All Neji could do was blink.

" I see you found your father's forehead protector," Hiashi stared down at the headband that Neji held in his good arm.

"Y-yes. I thought it was mine." There was an awkward silence between the two, and Hiashi didn't like it.

" You know your father was always trying to protect you from Hyuga punishments."

" Punishments? Like what?" Neji turned to look at the Hyuga Lord.

Hiashi chuckled, "Well, this is hard to believe considering how mature you are now, but as a toddler, you were very mischievous. You got into all sorts of trouble, including telling the Hyuga Elders that they were 'very wrinkly and mean'… "

"How interesting." Neji winced as he tried to get into a comfier position.

"Yes, normally I would have activated your curse mark, but your father, well, he was extremely aggravated with the decisions, to say the least. He kept telling me that if by giving you such a punishment at such a young age, I would be 'harming the mind and physical strengths of possibly the most brilliant Hyuga in all of our clans history!'…." Hiashi smiled at Neji.

Neji had nothing to say, and was feeling a bit uneasy having a conversation between himself and his strict and stern uncle, about his dead father. However, he was much too afraid of what may happen if he asked Hiashi to leave, therefore he remained silent and showed a faint smile. Neji began to feel tired again, due to the pain medicine. He yawned, allowing his eyes to start to droop. The Lord Hyuga noticed his tiredness. "Well, I must be leaving. Hinata and Hinabi have training in half an hour. Get well soon Neji."

Neji managed to lift his eyes high enough to see his uncle heading towards the door. " Goodbye Lord Hiashi…" The younger Hyuga closed his eyes and lowered himself into a more comfortable position, his broken arm being the only thing not covered by the blanket.

CHAPTER 7


	2. Chapter 7

_ He was asleep. He liked being asleep. Lately, every time he fell asleep, he saw his father, and he liked seeing his father. But this time was different… he still saw Hizashi, of course. But Neji wasn't… serene like usual… he felt short of breathe, and oddly hot. However, after seeing his father's face again, Neji overlooked his symptoms. _

"_I understand you had a conversation with Lord Hiashi. How did it go?" said his father._

"_Just fine. However, Hiashi-sama was behaving differently. It was almost as if he was trying to make a friendly discussion." Neji stated, staring down at his reflection in a pond._

_Hisashi walked away from the pond, knowing his son would follow, "Perhaps Hiashi-sama is trying to make amends between the houses."_

"_Hiashi-sama? Hn. I doubt it. Why would he care?"_

"_Well, maybe he is beginning to understand the problems that arouse between the houses."_

"_Hn. Either way, he still made me feel uncomfortable."_

_Neji had started sweating and had sat down after feeling dizzy. Hizashi took note of his son's condition._

"_How has your stay in the hospital been? Has Lady Tsunade said anything about your condition?"_

_Neji winced from the sudden change in temperature, suddenly everything had become hotter. "It... has been going well… I've been feeling a lot better; however, Lady Tsunade says it will be a while until I can move around."_

_Neji was gasping for air now, and was sweating like a dog. "Are you feeling alright Neji? You look a bit feverish." _

_Neji was now looking flushed. His dream world started melting. His chest felt tight, he couldn't breathe. His father was screaming his name. "Neji! Neji! "NEJI!"_

Neji was tossing and turning in his bed. He groaned as he slowly gained consciousness.

"NEJI. WAKE UP." Tsunade and 3 nurses surrounded his bed. One of them placed a cool, damp wash cloth over his forehead, the others replacing ice packs on the back of his neck and under his arms. Tsunade looked up at the Hyuga's monitor. "105.7. Damn it. His temperature is rising. We need more ice packs! Go!" Tsunade was handed a cold wash cloth and patted the Hyuga's face with it. His eyes shot open at the sudden touch. His pupil-less eyes darted around the room, until the Hokage was able to gain his attention. Neji was wheezing now and had drenched the bed in his sweat. "Neji. Look at me. You have a very bad fever with a temperature of 106.2," she said rechecking the monitor, "You have to remain as still as possible so that we can lower your temperature. Alright?" Neji nodded. Tsunade was getting very concerned. She had never seen a fever rise so quickly. His cheeks were bright red and he was wheezing. Tsunade was running out of ideas, she had tried everything; Icepacks, wash cloths, even lowering the temperature in the room. _This isn't working! He needs to be completely covered in something cold. Like…_ "I've got it!" Tsunade looked around; the nurses had left to retrieve more ice packs. "Guess I'm on my own. Neji, are you still awake?" The Hyuga made no recognition of being awake other than twitching and groaning from the fever. If he was, he couldn't communicate with her. Tsunade checked the monitor again. '107.4' She took out every one of Neji's IVs and removed the heart monitor wire from his finger. Tsunade picked up the Hyuga, bridal style, and ran out of the room.

A constant beeping sound came from the Hyuga boy's room. The nurses looked at one another; concerned for the worse they ran towards the room. They expected to find Tsunade trying to revive a dead Neji (A/N: Hence the beeping…like "the flat line" when you die…) Instead the room was empty. They went out into the hallways and searched the corridors. After searching for ten minutes they had finally found them.

Tsunade was sitting on the floor of one of the hospital showers holding and unconscious Neji. Cold water ran over the both of them. Neji's bandages, hair, and shorts were soaked, but his cheeks weren't bright red anymore. The Hokage pressed an ice pack underneath the Hyuga's neck and moved a strand of hair away from his face. "Is he alright, Lady Tsunade?" one of the nurses asked.

The Hokage looked up, "He's doing much better. He needed to be surrounded by something cold. This was the only place I knew that could get cold quickly. Go get me a thermometer."

"Hai," said the first nurse, and then she walked off. The second retrieved a couple towels and handed them to the Hokage. She took them and wrapped one around Neji's shoulders and took the other one for herself. The first nurse returned with the thermometer and handed it to Tsunade, "102.2" said the Hokage, "He still has a fever, but at least it's not life threatening anymore." She stood up and handed the unconscious Hyuga to the third nurse. "Dry him off, change his bandages, remake his bed, reattach his IVs, go get an IV with water in it, draw some blood from him, take it down to research and development, tell them about his fever and request antibiotics in an IV- there's no way Neji can take that big of pill when he's this weak. – And finally, place a cold wash on his forehead, replace it every ten minutes." Tsunade took one last glance at the Hyuga and walked away, "I'm in my office if you need me." She called.

The nurses' mouths hung open as they thought of all the jobs Lady Tsunade had ordered then to do. "She's probably going to take a nap you know," said the first nurse. "I HEARD THAT!" screamed the Hokage**. **The girls jumped at the fear. Neji moaned.

"Poor boy, he's probably in a lot of pain," said the first sympathetically.

"Yeah, Lady Tsunade removed his pain medicine from him," said the second.

"Forget that. He been jostled around, he's probably stressed his injuries. I'm surprised he has ripped open his stitches," said the third.

"Well we better get started, every second we stand here, is another second Neji's in agony."

**Heyy, sorry it's been so long. I just really needed to get motivated. ;D Anyway, I know this chapter was a bit bland, but I remembered that I had brought up a fever in a past chapter and really wanted to conclude it. Next chapter though, Gai Sensei and Lee come back! ;D haha, I think that was my favorite chapter. **_**Please Review!**_


	3. Chapter 8

**A/N: In this chapter I decided that Neji wouldn't remember much about the fever, so just kind of disregard the last chapter when something about the last time he woke up is mentioned… kayy.**

**Also, because I never said it earlier, I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters. But if I owned Neji, he would have a lot more screen time, and Naruto would have like a ¼ of what he has.**

Blah conversation

**Blah** Author's note

_Blah_ Neji's thoughts

**Chapter 8**

Neji twitched his eyes, and slowly woke up. He felt groggy, but better than the last time he remembered waking up. He looked up at the IV pole. _ Four IVs, and none are red… They must have finished my blood transfusion then… _He turned his head to get a glass of water, but… "NEJI!" The Hyuga blinked at the bowl cut hair styled boy.

"HOW ARE YOU FEELING? YOU LOOK SO MUCH BETTER! I CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE REALESED AND WE CAN SPAR EACH OTHER AGAIN!" The boy went on and on, being as loud as possible. Neji cringed at the sound of his voice and moaned slightly. "Lee, this is a hospital. Please keep your voice down," Neji pleaded. Lee acknowledged his teammate's request, "Oh yes! I am so sorry Neji! I shall keep my voice down, or I will make myself do 1000 push-ups!" The Hyuga rubbed his eyes, "That's not necessary, but thanks for understanding," Neji tried to sit up but struggled greatly, luckly, Lee was nice enough to help him, "Thanks, Lee... Can you hand me a glass of water?" Lee turned around to grab the glass, leaving the bedside table in view for the Hyuga to see a digital clock. Neji took note of the time, "Is... Is it really 11:30(**A/N:a.m**)?" Lee looked at the clock, " It appears to be so." The Hyuga's eyes widened. "I've been asleep for over 12 hours?" He asked, remembering he had fallen asleep around 5 pm. "Oh-no! You have been asleep much longer than that!" Lee responded. "What? No. Yesterday, Tenten, a-and you, and Gai-Sensei came to visit me, right? A-and then Shizune came in and you all left, then she talked to me and after that… after that, Hiashi-sama came in. Then I fell asleep around 5… Right?" Lee could only stare with his mouth slightly open. Neji was now very concerned, "Well?" Lee blinked and responded, "Neji… you have been unconscious for 2 days now. Do you not remember what happened?" Neji dim-wittedly shook his head no. "Well, you had a very terrible fever the other day." Neji just stared at Lee. "It was quite bad, 107° at its worse. Lady Tsunade said that she woke you up, but you were unresponsive for most of it. Eventually, they took you into the hospital showers and ran cold water over you until your temperature went down. Afterwards, no visitors were allowed for the rest of the day and all of yesterday."

Neji was dumbfounded. He didn't understand. How could _he_, a genius, get so sick? "That can't be possible. I'm never sick. I haven't been sick since we were in the Academy, and even then, it was only a slight cold. How could I get so ill so quickly?" He questioned Lee. Neji took a sip of his water and handed it back to his teammate and waited for a response. "Gai-Sensei said it had something to do with an allergic reaction to a medicine they gave you, to ease your back pain." Lee responded. Neji soaked in all the information. Then he winced slightly at the pain in his chest. _Damn. It still hurts to breathe. _"Neji, are you alright? You are breathing very heavily." The Hyuga snapped out of his thoughts, "Hn? Oh, yes. It's just hard to breathe…sometimes. Where's Tenten and Gai-Sensei?" "Right here!" The Handsome Green Beast stormed into the Hyuga's room. "GAI-SENSEI!" "LEE!" "GAI-SENSEI!" "LEE!"

The Hyuga had experienced this scene a thousand times, in fact, if he wasn't bedridden, he could probably take over for Lee or Gai. But instead, he just mouthed what the 'green beasts of Konoha' said. The Green Beasts went on for about 5 minutes, until Neji decided to interrupt. "Where's Tenten?" Gai and Lee paused their ritual and turned to the bed occupant. "She's on a mission with Shino and Hinata to the Village hidden in the Wind. They should be back by tonight though," answered Lee. The Hyuga simply nodded, followed by a wince of pain. Gai acknowledge this slight discomfort. "Lee, why don't you go get us some Ichiraku Ramen? Neji, do you want anything? You must be starving!" The Hyuga blinked, _hn. Must have been lost in thought again._** (A/N: Guess which certain brunette he was think of! ;D)** "Ugh, no. I-I'm fine," he replied. "Nonsense! You deserve it!" said his sensei. Neji shifted a bit and winced again, "No, it's fine. I don't really like Ichiraku. It's a bit too spicy for me." Gai nodded, "Very well then. Lee! I want you back here in under 30 minutes or else you have 500 pushups on each arm!" "YES GAI-SENSEI!" And on that note, Lee sprinted out of the hospital.

Gai looked back to his student. Neji stared back, breathing heavily, and wincing every now and then. "I'm proud of you Neji." The Hyuga showed no emotion. "Not many genin make it out alive of their first A-ranked mission," his sensei continued. "Yes, well, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park," Neji replied with a smirk. Gai smiled and sat down next to the bed. The Hyuga tried to turn slightly, but to no prevail. Instead he cringed in pain. "Your shoulder still hurts?" The Sensei said. It was more of a statement rather than a question. _No idiot. I nearly died, and spending part of my life in the ICU because I like the scenery of the room. My physical pain has nothing to do with it._ Neji thought, but instead he said, "Y-yes. Mostly when I move around." Gai nodded, "Is anything else really hurting?" _No. I think being treated like a cabob feels therapeutic. In fact I'm better than ever. Let's go train._ "I'm fine…" he said. The Jonin stared at him. Neji stared back. _Go ahead stare. I can play this game all day. I'm fine with the silence. _

"You don't need to use your shoulder to sit up."

"What's your point?"

"Something else hurts"

"So what if something does?"

"I'm your Sensei; I need to know these things."

"You're not a doctor."

**(A/N: Yupp. They're still staring at each other. Think of the staring contest they have in Shippuden 12 (I think that's the episode))**

"I need to know what type of training you'll be able to do."

"Oh please." Neji scoffed.

"What?"

"You've been watching Lee train since before the Chunin exams. Tenten and I have being training by ourselves. I'm very capable of finding a way to train that won't stress my injuries."

"I always help you and Tenten."

"Hn. That was when we had just graduated from the Academy and you barely knew us."

"I still help you and Tenten all the time. In fact I watched you two spar 2 days before you left on the mission."

"That was only because, Lady Tsunade told Lee not to do any training the day before surgery. And even then, you ended training 4 hours early so you could keep Lee company."

"Neji, Lee's surgery had only a 50% chance of working, and the other 50% could have caused his death! I'm surprised at your selfishness!" Gai said, somewhat shocked at his student.

"Oh really? I was considered dead for 2 minutes during my surgery. Speaking of which, where were you when I was in surgery a few days ago?" Gai was dumbfounded, shocked at Neji's rebuttal. "Hn. That's what I thought. And where were you when Tenten woke up in the hospital after losing to Temari?"

"Neji, she was fine. Lee was seriously injured."

"I still found time to visit both of them, and I was still training for the finals. You know… the finals that could have made me a chunin. Everyone in the final examination had their own Sensei, except for me. My Sensei, was too busy caring for another teammate who, by the way isn't a baby, he could get around on his own. But instead, I had to practice with a certain kunoichi, who doesn't even compare to my physical and mental strengths. You know, I could have beaten Naruto if I had a proper Sensei helping me. Then I could have been captain on the retrieval mission, and maybe this wouldn't have happened to me." _Alright, maybe that's a bit too unrealistic… but still..._

Had Gai not been so caught off guard by Neji's comments, he probably would have laughed it off, thinking that Neji was simply jealous. However, that is not the case. Gai took note that Neji's heart monitor was speeding up slightly. He didn't want Neji to hurt himself even more, so he tried his best to calm him down. "I…. I never knew you felt so strongly about this Neji. But you must understand that I try to spend an equal amount of time with all 3 of you."

If Neji had pupils, he would've rolled his eyes at Gai. "Oh please, don't make me laugh."

"Why is that?"

Neji was surprised. _What the hell. Are you serious? It's pretty damn obvious to everyone else. I was right; you are just like a child, so naïve to the world around you._ "You don't spend an equal time with us at all. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say you spend about 80% with Lee, 15% with Tenten, and maybe 5% with me… and that's been generous."

Neji's heart monitor was speeding up again, this time a bit faster. His student also seemed to be breathing quite hard. Gai wasn't sure what to do. "Neji. You don't quite understand. Lee…. Lee doesn't have the natural talent you have. Being a shinobi doesn't come easy to him. He works at it, and needs a lot of help. Tenten, although very clever and strong, needs help too. As for you, you are the best on the team Neji! You're a true genius. Techniques and Justus come easy to you, and you learn quickly. You're more independent and more obedient than the rest, which are impressive traits!"

Neji just stared at the man. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He pushed his hair out of his face, and looked up at the ceiling…. Well he meant to be seeking heaven, but anyone else would say he stared at the ceiling. "Wow… you really don't get it do you?"

Gai was slightly confused. "What do you mean?" he said, trying to remain as calm as possible, for the Hyuga's sake.

"Being independent isn't a trait. It's not something that you inherit. You learn it. And when your own mum **(A/N: Sorry, I'm an Aussie.)** dies when you're born, and your father dies for his clan when you are only 4, you learn to be independent. You don't have a choice. Not when you're a Hyuga at least. No one will have symphony for you, because to them, these things happens all the time. And when you're threatened with a simple hand sign that you know will cause unimaginable pain, because you didn't bow to a Main House Member, you learn to be obedient. That's because nothing is more embarrassing than being frightened by a simple stare, or a flick of the wrist, and I'd rather be obedient than embarrassed any day. You see? I wasn't born with those 'traits'… they were burned into me." Neji's big silvery eyes glistened as tears filled them. He undid the bandages hiding his curse mark.

Gai was stunned. He had never heard Neji talk so much, after all, he wasn't much of a talker. He knew the boy had a hard life, and that his talents weren't rewarded in his clan. He couldn't relate to the boy's pain. Both of Gai's parents were still alive, living on the other side of town, so he didn't know what it felt like to be an orphan. Even though Neji technically lived with the rest of his clan, and therefore not an orphan, but nevertheless he was still parentless. He knew the boy missed his father very much, and he understood why he resented Hinata, even though the girl had done nothing wrong. But most importantly, Gai realized Neji was right.

"Neji… I…."

And of course, when the going gets tough…. Lee enters the room.

"GAI SENSEI! I HAVE RETURNED WITH LUNCH! AND IT HAS ONLY BEEN 22 MINUTES AND 12 SECO-" Lee realized he had interrupted a very serious conversation. After all, he had NEVER seen his Hyuga teammate cry, and he almost never saw his curse mark. Not even in the Academy. Neji would wrap a bandage around it, which made Lee think he was abused at home. That was until he was put on his team, and he learned the truth one day when Neji fell out of tree, and hit his head. He had fallen unconscious, and Gai had removed his forehead protector to see if Neji had a concussion. When he woke up, Neji immediately covered the mark with his hand, and refused to tell them about it until they gave him his forehead protector back. **(A/N: Sorry, I always wanted to know how his team found out and I thought that was a good way I guess :) Now back to the story.) **"Did I interrupt something?" Lee asked, being much quieter than before.

Neji's heart monitor was much faster than before, and he was having much harder time breathing. He was clearly in pain, both physically and mentally. "No Lee. In fact, Gai-Sensei and you were just leaving," Neji said, trying to give them both a hint. Gai acknowledged it, while Lee was still confused. "But I thought we-" Lee started, but Gai stopped him, "He's right Lee. Let's give Neji a rest. The last thing he needs is us two loud mouths disturbing him." Lee nodded and headed out the door, "I'll see you later Neji, get better soon." Neji nodded in response. Then he winced as he tried to lie back down. "Would you like some help?" Gai offered. Neji couldn't even look at the man, "I've been independent for most of my life… I'm very capable of lying back down by myself." _Actually, some help would be great, but I'm not going to admit it to him._ So instead, Neji endured the pain, and turned away from the door and Gai, refusing to make eye contact with either. "Very well, I'll visit again later on. Get well." And on that note, Gai stood up and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

**How was that? I always thought Neji would have something against Gai. I didn't really mean to make him sound jealous, if he did… I also decided I really haven't emphasized Neji's attitude at all, which is why I wrote this up. Please comment your thoughts! I'm open to constructive criticism, but please don't be rude! Thanks! ;D**


	4. Chapter 9

******This chapter is another serious one. I'm not sure where I'll be going with this afterwards, so if anyone has any ideas please let me know. Thanks**

**CHAPTER 9**

Hinata walked through the streets of Konaha. _Please don't be awake! Please don't be awake!_ It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, it was just, well…. He made her so nervous, and she always seemed to stutter around him too. Hinata slowed her pace as she approached the corridor of the hospital. She looked up from the forest of flowers she held in her arms. She had 3 vases that she carried, one for everyone she visited. _Okay, I'll visit him second that way if he asks, I can honestly say that I came to see Kiba. But, if I can't stop stuttering, or things get awkward, I can say I have to go visit someone else! Fool proof! _Hinata swallowed her fear before proceeding inside. She asked the nurse at the reception desk for the 3 rooms and continued down towards the recovery unit of the hospital.

"K-Kiba?" She asked, entering the room quietly. "Hey Hinata!" the Inuzuka said. "Ruff! Ruff!" The white dog sitting in the boys lap stood up and barked at the girl. "A-Akamaru, it's g-good to see you too," Hinata responded, giving them both a small smile, "H-how much longer will you have to stay here K-Kiba?" The boy stopped patting his dog and looked up at the girl, "Not too much longer. It'll probably no more than the rest of today."

"Well th-that's g-good."

"Yeah it is! I hate being cooped up in this hell hole. I probably could've left earlier today, but no, I have to wait for a full examination from Tsunade!"

"K-Kiba, y-you re-really sh-should use honorifics when t-talking about our h-hokage…"

"Yeah, sorry Hinata, my bad. Any news on Chouji? I heard that he got poisoned by those special pills."

"Umm, well Ino t-told me yes-yesterday that Chouji should be fine within a few days, but they want to m-make sure he's strong enough first. Once the antidote w-was created, he sh-showed great signs of improvements."

"Ahh, so they just want him to get fat again, I see." Kiba stated, rolling his eyes and relaxing into his pillow.

Hinata giggled, she didn't understand why, but Kiba always made her feel less shy, "I guess you could put it that way." She said, placing the flowers on the bedside table.

"Thanks Hinata. Who are the others for? Let me guess…..Naruto?" Kiba gave her a sly smile, making fun of her little crush.

Hinata's face turned bright red, "I-I n-needed an ex-excuse t-to leave N-Neji-nissan's room, if I-I n-needed to."

"Right, and simply saying 'I gotta go' won't cut it."

"C-Cut it out Kiba! It-It's not funny! Y-you know how much he h-hates me."

Kiba rolled his eyes, a little annoyed with Hinata's constant lack of confidence when it came to her cousin, "Hinata, I really don't think he hates you. Sure, he can be a jerk, but when you got to hell and back with him, like I did, you realize he really isn't that bad. In fact, if anything, I'd say he made the biggest sacrifices for the team, and probably should've been the leader…. Don't tell Shikamaru I said that. But that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say, is that Neji may seem cold hearted on the outside, but he really has good intentions, and knows what's best."

"You don't have to live with him, or with the burden of being responsible for what happened to his father." Hinata stared down at her pigeon toed feet, feeling the effects of her guilt.

"Now stop it Hinata. You're really starting to piss me off. I feel like we have the same discussion every week. It's not your fault, and there was nothing you could've done to prevent it. Yeah, what happened sucked, and I'm sure no one was prepared for it, but it's behind us now. There's no changing the past. You're better off just moving on." Kiba was practically yelling at the poor girl. Typically, he and Shino were very supportive of her, but whenever _this_ topic was brought up, Kiba tended to lose his cool, and Hinata knew all too well.

"I-I…It-It's just that-"

"Just what? Just that you're not the only one suffering in your family? Look Hinata, I get it. You have a tough life. Your dad doesn't think you're good enough, you think Neji's out to get you, and your sister will probably surpass you soon. And that sucks, but it can't always be 'poor little Hinata'. You've gotta grow up and take the bull by the horns. Look at Neji. You think you're life's hard? That guy has suffered so much more than you. But you can't get past his resentment for you to be able to see that can you?"

Hinata's face trembled, raising her finger to her lip, "It-It's not like that!"

"It's exactly like that! You're too afraid of something intangible to see just how much the poor guy's been through! His mum died when he was born, his dad died for his clan when he was just a kid, and he can never be clan leader even though he's clearly a genius and the best candidate. In fact, if I was him, I'd hate you too. You are in line for a job that he's clearly better suited for, and you don't even want the position! On top of all that, his team is a joke. All his sensei's done is make him run lap after lap after lap, and hasn't contributed to his legitimate training otherwise. Lee thinks he's worthy of being Neji's rival when he can't even come close to Neji's mental stamina. And I'm pretty sure the only reason why he doesn't hate Tenten is because she's the only other sane person. Can't you see Hinata? He's not callous because of his demeanor, he's callous because that's how he deals with his own suffering. While you wallow away in your own self-pity, he uses it for his own advantage!"

Hinata's face was distraught with embarrassment, staring down at the bland tile pattern. Kiba went too far this time, and he knew it. Letting out a breath of air to calm himself down, he began to mollify his berating speech, "Look, I'm sorry. It's just I don't think you've ever taken the chance to stand in his shoes for once and see how it's like for him. I agree that he's not the most fun person to be around, but I also agree that he's not had an easy life. All I'm asking is that when you go see him, don't let him intimidate you because of something that neither of you could've prevented. Besides, from what I've heard, Neji hasn't had a very pleasant hospital stay. There's no way you can possibly let a guy who can't even sit up by himself, intimidate you." Kiba gave her a slight chuckle, trying to alleviate her guilt.

Trying to muster up her courage, Hinata managed a silent nod, bringing her eyes back to Kiba's, "I-I'm so-sorry K-Kiba."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that," Kiba sighed, realizing how harsh he was with the Hyuga girl, "I just want you to know that you're so much better than what you think you are."

"Th-Thanks K-Kiba," Hinata said managing a small smile.

"Just tell me that you'll walk into Neji's room, and not let him push you around okay?"

"O-Okay Kiba, I promise."

"Good! Now I want you to put your chin up high, and march out of this room, like you own the place! Now go!"

Hinata's smile grew slightly and said good bye to Kiba and Akamaru before she turned around and made her way to Neji's room.

"Neji?" The Hyuga girl stood right outside of the room, knocking ever so lightly on the door, "N-Neji nii-san, i-it's Hinata. May I come in?" Receiving no answer, the girl took it as a sign to come in.

"_Oh thank God, he's asleep."_ Hinata thought, seeing her cousin sleeping semi-peacefully. For a moment she actually took pity on her poor cousin, seeing him so tightly bandaged up, his face slightly twisted with pain, and his skin pale as powder. It must've been something about Neji being in such a vulnerable state that made Hinata see her mistake._ "Kiba was right. You have been through so much more than I thought."_

After paying her dues, Hinata placed the second bouquet of flowers on a table on the far side of the room, and turned to walk out, thankful that she didn't have to deal with Neji after all. Upon leaving, her backpack swung across the table, knocking the recently placed bouquet off the table and shattering into thousands of pieces onto the ground. Cringing at the horrific sound of breaking glass, Hinata turned to see what the damage was. The bunch of colorfully arranged flowers lay in entropy atop of the clear shattered glass.

"Hn? Wha-? Hinata?" Neji's voice was clearly dry, and laced his words with a confused tone. His body was still too weak to sit up, but he still managed to lift his head high enough to see the mess his cousin made. _"I can't even sleep for a few hours before being woken up." _ Neji rolled his eyes at the mess his cousin made.

"Ugh-Ugh N-Neji-n-niisan, I-I'm s-sorry f-for kn-knocking the vase o-over. I-I'll cl-clean it up!" Hinata dropped to the ground and start picking up the floral mess.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll have a nurse do it," said the Hyuga boy. He struggled to reach the nurse call button, before giving it a slight tap and returning to his resting position.

Struggling to keep her stuttering under control, Hinata tried to escape the room as quickly as possible, "Umm th-thank y-you n-niisan. I-I was j-just l-leaving ac-actually. I'll sh-shut the d-door on my w-way-"

"You made a mess of my room and now you're just going to leave with at least talking to me first? How rude."

"_Damn. I guess I'm stuck here. Okay Hinata, just try to get your stuttering under control."_ Taking in a deep breath, the girl took a seat next to his bed. "My a-apologizes N-Neji-n-niisan."

"Hinata, we've discussed this. I'm not your brother," the injured boy said, pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes.

"S-Sorry, N-Neji" Hinata's face grew red with embarrassment.

"Hn. You can't hold a proper conversation, can you Hinata?"

"I c-could s-say the same for you, Neji."

Shocked by her sudden confidence, the boy fell silent.

"I…..I'm sorry, Neji-niisan" Hinata said staring back down at her feet.

"….No. I'm sorry."

Hinata gave him a quizzical look, "F-for what?"

"For…" The injured Hyuga took in a deep breath pondering on the question, "For everything…hating you, envying you,…..almost…killing you…"

After a long awkward pause, something came to the girl's attention, "You-You were jealous of-of me?"

"Hn."

"Why?"

"Why not? Your dad is the clan leader…and alive, you…you're the heiress to the Hyuga clan, even though I'm obviously better fit for the job, you're not from a branch family, and….you don't have a…." the boy let the words hang in the air as he gestured to the green mark on his forehead that was hidden behind bandages.

The room fell silent yet again, both Hyugas refusing to let words escape their mouths.

"_Why does he have to remind me of all that? I know that he doesn't deserve any of this, but why does he have to make me feel guilty? And he's not even trying! In fact he's blaming himself…God damn it Neji!"_

"_Damn it Hinata. Why did you have to come here, and see me like this? You think I like being bed ridden? Or needing help sitting up? Or having to admit EVERYTHING to you?"_

After several minutes of the Hyugas' thoughts remaining to themselves, the younger one broke the silence.

"Wha…What's it like?"

"Hn?"

"What's it like…. being a genius?"

"…It…..It's lonely."

"O-oh," Hinata lost eye contact, feeling slightly disappointed by his answer, "B-but you're always the best at everything. And your sensei must teach so many skills."

"Hn…In all honesty, I haven't really learnt much from being on my team."

"R-Really? W-Why?"

"There's nothing to learn. Besides, Gai-Sensei mainly works with Lee and Tenten. I'm really just there to help them spar, or exhibit a jutsu to them… Isn't it like that with that guy on your team? The one with the glasses?"

"Shino? No not really. If anything, Kiba and him help me…They're a lot better than me."

"Yeah well at least you're allowed to know the clan secret jutsus…"

"…Yeah….. Just between you and me, Father is… has… given up on me. He's working with Hanabi now. He wants her to be heiress…not me. That's why she hasn't been sentenced to the branch family."

"Hinata…I-I didn't-"

"It's alright…I knew I wasn't fit to be heiress. It was only a matter time before I was replaced."

The silence stretched on for 2 and a half minutes, this time broken by the older Hyuga.

"I'll help you."

"Hn?"

"I'll help you get stronger. We'll train together."

"N-Neji-niisan, I-I can't let you waste your training time on me."

"I just told you, I haven't learnt much from my training. Besides, it's my duty as a branch family to help you." Neji said; adverting his eyes from hers.

"Thank-you, niisan…"

"I'm not your brother."

"Sorry…" Hinata said giving him an apologetic look.

Trying to drop the awkward tension that was new to him, Neji changed subjects.

"Those are for Naruto I suppose," Neji said gesturing towards the flowers by her side.

Red with embarrassment, Hinata said, "ummmm….I-I –I j-j-ust-"

"Visiting hours are almost over, I suggest you go see him now before a nurse kicks you out." He said smirking.

"Ummmm…O-O-Ok-Okay. Bye N-Neji…thanks f-for listening."

Hinata left, leaving Neji to his thoughts.

"_You're welcome Hinata…it was my pleasure."_


End file.
